One wishes that the film, which clocks in at a brisk 98 minutes, had slowed down and given the actors a bit more space. Even if the complicated brew of emotions cannot always match Chekhov's, there are still moments of great power here.

| Mar 23, 2020

Bening, who has developed into an acting bird of Streep-like plumage, enjoys herself enormously as Arkadina.

| Mar 16, 2020

The new version, by director Michael Meyer, is far more successful in catching the elusive atmosphere of the Russian master's work.

| Original Score: 2.5/5 | Oct 5, 2018

Whatever their flaws, all of these characters are looked on with affection and sympathy - in true Chekhov style. In the end, even Irina gets her reflective moment - a hint that she may be capable of feeling for someone other than herself, after all.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Oct 5, 2018

This isn't a movie. It's tonal warfare.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 10, 2018

We are left with the sense of a story that has been co-opted into the same accessible, middlebrow terrain that Chekhov was originally reacting against.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 9, 2018

Annette Bening is wonderfully haughty as Irina, the celebrated actor, visiting the family estate.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 7, 2018

A compelling adaptation of a true classic, with nuanced performances and artful direction this is an utter joy.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 7, 2018

If the finale does flirt with tragedy...the aftertaste is refreshingly sardonic.

| Original Score: 4/5 | Sep 6, 2018

As comedy, as tragedy, or as anything much in between, Chekhov's drama obstinately refuses to come to life.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 6, 2018

This adaptation of Anton Chekhov's play is handsomely mounted, as they say, and features a stellar cast, but it won't be setting the world alight.

| Sep 6, 2018

Chekhov is notoriously difficult to film and this adaptation boldly taps into the play's mordant wit. But the fidgety and over-emphatic visuals detract from the themes and the stellar performances.

| Original Score: 3/5 | Sep 6, 2018

None of the actors is less than poised, and Mayer delivers cinematic snap, making everything look velveteen, moving events along at pace.

| Sep 5, 2018

Individual performances are great, but the finished product is uninspiring.

| Original Score: 2/5 | Sep 5, 2018

Mayer brings a labored hand to the proceedings and can't maximize his dynamite cast or the potential for salaciousness in Chekov's tangled web of characters.

| Original Score: C | Jun 15, 2018

Chekhov would be appalled.

| Original Score: 1.5/4 | May 31, 2018

[Director Mayer] soon finds his footing and occasionally reveals something heartbreakingly genuine for contemporary moviegoers in the myriad complicated relationships comprising Chekhov's insulated world.

| Original Score: 3/5 | May 31, 2018

At times you feel like you're watching bits and pieces of two or three different films. Happily, they're all pretty good ones.

| Original Score: 3.5/5 | May 31, 2018

A story full of passion and longing and rage and betrayal that comes across as abstract verging on bloodless.

| Original Score: 1/5 | May 25, 2018

Great, thoughtful acting can take you only so far, and "The Seagull" has been brought into close-up without ever coming into focus.

| Original Score: 2/4 | May 24, 2018